Sometimes the media engages in false equivalency by citing two very different actions or events, one by a Democrat and one by a Republican, and saying or implying they’re equivalent. But sometimes it takes the form of inventing or shoehorning in to a story criticism of a figure or policy from one party a claim that the criticism is from both parties. Thus, all the “even Democrat Joe Lieberman/Zell Miller/Evan Bayh”-stories you’ve encountered over the years.

Today the Washington Post doesn’t even find a Democrat. The story linked above includes criticism of Barack Obama from Tim Pawlenty–you may have heard of him, he was once thought to be a presidential candidate–and Republican operative Mike Murphy. The article doesn’t cite criticism from any Democrat, but does mention criticism from a liberal columnist–the Post’s own Colbert King. Then the Post sent out a tweet saying Obama’s being criticized by both Republicans and Democrats, because, of course, the foundational assumption of American political journalism is equivalence, especially of the false variety.